Clearing of brush and other organic matter typically involves use of heavy-duty self-propelled mulchers (which may also be referred to by those of skill in the art as “forestry mowers”). Such mulchers include a cutting head with cutting teeth secured thereto that rotates at high speeds to cut or shred the organic material. The cutting head may be mounted to any one of a number of vehicles for manipulating the cutting head. For example, the cutting head may be attached to a skid steer, excavator, backhoe, grader or dedicated prime mover which assists in positioning the cutting head toward the organic material and which may also drive rotation of the cutting head.
During use of the mulching apparatus, the cutting teeth wear and become less sharp, and the apparatus becomes less efficient and effective in clearing material. The teeth must be periodically sharpened while attached to the apparatus or even removed from the cutting head and sharpened. After a period of use, the cutting teeth must be replaced with previously sharpened teeth. These re-sharpening and/or replacement operations result in costly device downtime and increased cost.
A continuing need exists for cutting teeth that are more resistant to wear during use and to cutting heads and propelled mulching apparatus that include such teeth.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.